Entertainment
Diddy placed on suicide watch in prison
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the embattled rapper, has reportedly been placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The 54-year-old music mogul who was arrested at a hotel in Manhattan on Monday is currently facing federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
On Tuesday, Robyn Tarnofsky, the US magistrate judge, ordered that the hitmaker be sent to jail to await trial in his case. The Bad Boy Records founder was also denied bail.
Tarnofsky’s order followed after Diddy pleaded not guilty to the 14-page federal indictment against him.
On Thursday, People quoted sources at the prison as saying that the rapper has been placed on suicide watch for “preventative measures”.
It added that “Combs is in shock and his mental state is unclear”.
Prison occupants are placed on suicide watch as “supervisory precautions taken for suicidal inmates that require frequent observation,” according to the US Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections.
The news outlet did not reveal how long Diddy will remain under suicide watch, or if he is suicidal.
The rapper is expected to remain at the Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of trial — although the date has yet to be revealed.
The New York Times reports that the detention facility, which holds more than 1,200 people, has a reputation for violence, filthy conditions, food contamination, and suicides.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors charged Diddy with sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
They alleged the rapper, with help from Combs Enterprise associates, ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes”.
Combs was said to have “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” from 2008 to now.
Diddy is the highest-profile musician to face sexual misconduct charges since Robert Sylvester Kelly, the R&B singer popularly known as R. Kelly.
Kelly was sentenced in 2022 to more than 30 years in prison for sexually abusing fans, some of them children, racketeering, and sex trafficking.
Entertainment
Bimpe Akintunde warns Nigerians against scammers impersonating her on WhatsApp
Bimpe Akintunde, the Nollywood actress, has raised an alarm over a fake WhatsApp account created in her name to scam unsuspecting individuals.
The film star took to her Instagram story to share screenshots of the impersonator, posing as her to solicit money from her followers.
Akintunde expressed her frustration and disappointment, cursing the scammer for attempting to profit from her hard work. She warned the public to be cautious of the impersonator on any media platform.
The actress urged her fans to help report the scammer’s WhatsApp and bank accounts.
She also prayed that God should keep such fraudulent individuals away from her and her loved ones.
“What a morning. Tell me how this country wants to be great, when a lot of people are struggling, working hard to build a name and brand, and boom, one person will take their pictures and name only to be defrauding people up and down,” she wrote.
“Who gave birth to such a child? Useless children, may God keep them away from us.
“Please disregard any message from anyone, either in your DM or WhatsApp, asking you to send money.
“Please, it not me. I do not own this above number. I would appreciate it if we could find a way to report both the WhatsApp and the Opay account.”
Entertainment
Davido advises black Americans not to relocate to Nigeria, says ‘the economy is in shambles’
Davido, the Afrobeats star, has advised black Americans against relocating to Nigeria, citing the country’s economic challenges.
In an appearance on The Big Homies House podcast, the singer shared his thoughts on the struggles bedeviling Nigeria, stating, “It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles”.
Davido also mentioned Nigeria’s struggles with bad leadership, a high exchange rate, and skyrocketing oil prices, which are negatively impacting the country.
“It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles. I do my part, I am an ambassador. When I go home and I am filming, I am no going to show the bad parts,” he said.
“I am talking about the situation in the country. Now the exchange rate is messed up, a lot of stuffs are not going well.
“The economy is just not good enough. The oil price is too high. Imagine the country that produces oil, paying more for it than a country importing oil.”
Despite the challenges, Davido emphasised the entertainment industry’s positive impact on Africa’s global image.
“Regardless, entertainment is one of the thing that has made Africa look good. We do not have the best leader, that is a fact,” he said.
Entertainment
US actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction for staged attack overturned
American actor, Jussie Smollett’s conviction for fabricating a racist and homophobic hate crime in Chicago in 2019 was overturned Thursday on due process grounds.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Smollett, 42, should not have been charged again by prosecutors after a prior agreement saw over a dozen original charges dismissed.
It is the latest twist in Smollett’s legal saga, which began with his initial claim in January 2019 that he had been attacked on a Chicago street.
The gay African-American actor, then a cast member of the hit TV series “Empire,” said two masked men assaulted him late at night, shouting slurs and placing a noose around his neck.
Smollett staged the attack after receiving a legitimate piece of hate mail which he felt was not taken seriously by his employers, prosecutors said.
But those charges were suddenly dropped in March 2019, under an arrangement in which Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond and agreed to do community service.
The dismissal was met with anger by some city officials, including then-mayor Rahm Emanuel, who argued $10,000 was only a fraction of the actual investigation costs.
A special prosecutor eventually took over the case and several charges were reinstated.
Smollett, who has always maintained his innocence, was found guilty in December 2021.
Though he was sentenced to 150 days in prison with 30 months on probation, he was released pending the outcome of his appeal.
He was also ordered to repay $120,106 to the Chicago Police to cover their investigation costs.
The case had initially sent shock waves through a deeply divided country still plagued by racial and sexual discrimination, and the actor had immediately received support from celebrities in political and cultural circles.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruling said that bringing the charges a second time after “the defendant has performed his part of the bargain” represented “a due process violation.”
“We therefore reverse (the) defendant’s conviction,” the ruling said.
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